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Science Says "High Levels" Of Chocolate Consumption Good For Your Heart
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 30, 2011
Modified Aug 30, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 30, 2011
Modified Aug 30, 2011
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Any idiot will tell you that eating chocolate protects your skin. This is just hard science, like gravity or magnets. But Uncle Science now says that eating chocolate can lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases. Finally, watching TV and eating Triple Double Oreos will cancel each other out.
The British medical journal BMJ analyzed seven studies involving chocolate and 114,000 participants found that the "highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels." Heart failure or diabetes? Not so much.
The article's lead scientist and party-pooper-in-chief cautioned the Times that none of the studies involved "randomized, controlled trials," and said, "Chocolate may be beneficial, but it should be eaten in a moderate way, not in large quantities and not in binges." He adds, "If it is consumed in large quantities, any beneficial effect is going to disappear." Yeah, disappear like our risk of stroke. Last one in the Phish Food has a higher risk of heart disease!
Tagged
bmj
chocolate
heart disease
phish food
science
studies
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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